I Forgive You Shika
by follow you into the night
Summary: Shikamaru made a huge mistake in not trusting Ino with his feelings a year after Asuma's death.  Will he be able to admit to her that he was wrong, or will somebody hurt her before he gets the chance? OneShot InoShika


I sighed again as Temari continued to pester me about going to hang out with the rest of our team. I knew that it would be a lot of fun; even if I did tell her it was troublesome. I glanced behind her towards the end of the street to see a familiar flash of blonde hair turn the corner. I lost track of what Temari was saying as I caught a glimpse of Ino's depressed face. It had been years since we had talked, and even longer since we had a mission together. I thought about reasons as to why she would seem so sullen. It was perfect outside; with many fluffy clouds overhead. Then it hit me: Asuma. Choji and I had managed to move on with our lives by submerging ourselves in missions and our clans. Ino on the other hand refused to let go of his memory. We had deserted her when she had needed us the most.

Flashback

I was resting under the shade of the Hokage mountain when I felt another presence approaching. I cracked one eye open to see a teary eyed Ino staring down at me. I rolled onto my side and patted the ground next to me. She calmly shook her head then stared down at her feet. "It has been one year…I was…I was hoping you and Choji would come with me to his grave."

I sighed heavily. "How troublesome." Had I been paying attention to my teammate I would have seen the silent tear that fell to the grass. "Choji is on a mission, and today is my only day off Ino. Anyways, it won't matter if we visit his grave. He is gone. Accept it and move on."

I heard her sharp intake of breath but didn't bother to spare her a glance. She turned on her heel and disappeared into the trees. I never would have realized then, that she would spend the next five years avoiding everybody she ever knew from her ninja days.

End Flashback

"Shikamaru…Shikamaru!" I looked back at Temari as she began to yell at me.

"What is it?" I questioned.

"I asked, so are you coming or not?" She rolled her eyes like I was annoying her.

"Sorry Temari, but I just realized that today I have something very important to do."

"Whatever." With that she walked past me with a huff. I never looked back.

I jumped to the roofs searching for that telltale swish of blonde hair. I noticed her rounding another corner a few streets over so I took off in full spy mode. I could not explain what I was feeling now. I had tried to talk to her before, after the incident, but to no avail. All of our friends blamed me for losing her. She refused to talk to any of us. Sakura had pushed me thru a wall, Choji had broken three ribs, and even Temari had broken my finger. They had eventually forgiven me but I still missed Ino. The way she used to look after us, even if she was troublesome. She had always been there to take care of me.

Flashback

I woke to the smell of bacon wafting up to my room. It had been two weeks since Asuma died and my parents had left on a mission the night before. I slowly pulled myself out of bed noticing that my room was newly cleaned. I was confused at this point. Just then, Ino burst into the room with a forced smile on her beautiful face. "Shika! You're awake! I, well your mother told me that she was leaving you here and asked if I would check up on you, and..." She bit her lip and her eyes glassed over. "And I promised Asuma Sensei that I would take care of you. Anyways I made you breakfast." Ino grabbed my hand and pulled me into a standing position, our bodies were barely an inch apart. I saw her blush, as I looked down into her shimmering blue eyes, so similar to the blue sky. I could not control myself; I pulled her into a hug that showed every emotion I was holding in. We stayed like that for so long, together. She had cried into my shoulder as I buried my head in her hair and rubbed soothing circles on her neck.

End Flashback

It was finally time to right my wrong. It had been months since Ino had last let me even see her. I was determined to fix what I broke exactly five years ago. I followed her all the way to his grave. She was alone and it killed me to know that it was my fault she was like this. Maybe if I had been stronger I could have saved Asuma, or at the very least I could have opened up to her five years ago instead of putting on my usual lazy façade.

She stayed in the same kneeling position over his grave until well after sunset. I watched her slowly rise, tears streaming down her face. Then a whisper on the wind, "I am sorry for breaking my promise. I have not kept us, our team, together. I am so…" Swish!

I jumped in shock at the sound of a kunai slicing through the air. My body felt paralyzed as I watched the kunai slice through her shoulder. She didn't scream, or run away. Instead she leaned over Asuma's grave, protecting it from harm. I heard the distinct sound of metal hitting metal. Before even beginning to formulate a plan of action my body reacted. I had a shuriken thrown, knocking the kunai away from its intended target, Ino. I then took up a protective stance in front of her.

"Sh-Shika…?" Her heartfelt sob wrenched my heart. I spun around coming face to face with her crystalline blue eyes. That was not what shocked me the most though. Ino, my Ino, had a katana to her throat, a beefy man stood forcefully behind her. I immediately took up an offensive stance.

The man's gravelly voice interrupted the tension. "Hey boy, just go back home. This matter is between me and this pretty little thing's father. No need to get all worked up."

A feral growl escaped my throat, and I heard Ino gasp in surprise, however I didn't dare look at her. I was a coward. "You made this my matter the second you began attacking her. Leave her alone. What do you expect to accomplish from hurting her!"

The man chuckled. "Ah, so you must really like this little beauty. It really is a shame. I heard what you did to her. I assume you are Shikamaru Nara."

Ino bent her head down as more tears hit the ground. "Shika just go. I will be fine. I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I was always too weak, this is a fitting way to die, for a coward like me."

I stared at her in complete shock. "I-Ino…you are not the coward, I am. I should have trusted you five years ago to tell you how I really felt. You have always been the strongest, bravest, smartest, most troublesome person I have ever known. I was the coward; I still am the coward. I spent hours watching you cry, unable to confront you because I was scared you would reject me again. Sakura, Choji, Naruto, Lee, Kiba, Hinata, Tenten, Neji, Shino, and Sai have all missed you so much." I trailed off when she looked up at me.

"What about you Shika?" I looked at her confused. "Have you missed me?"

I smiled gravely. "Ino, I have been slowly killing myself ever since I first walked out of your life. It has been very troublesome…" I smiled again as I heard her faint laugh.

I had almost forgotten the man holding Ino, until her roughly lifted her over his shoulder. "As touching as all this has been, I must be taking my leave. I have a package to deliver. Nice to see you UGH!" Ino slid off of the beast of a man's shoulder and ran towards me. I noticed that one of the pins that had been holding her hair was now gone. I smiled as she grabbed my shoulder, panting for breath. "Now that is the Ino we all know and love."

It took less then a minute from there for me to use shadow possession jutsu and for Ino to tie his wrists. We delivered the man to the Hokage, explaining what had happened, leaving out the details. She sighed and rubbed her temples before sending Shizune to fetch Ino's father. We were then dismissed.

I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face as Ino clung to my arm. I led her back to my usual perch under the Hokage Mountain where I would spend hours staring at the clouds. We stood together for a moment before a slap resounded through the clearing. I rubbed my cheek, giving Ino a look that said 'What the Hell?' She just smiled innocently. "How troubleso…" I stopped talking as her lips pressed against mine, so soft and warm. She pulled back nervously when I didn't respond. Her cheeks had flushed, making her porcelain white skin glow even more in the light from the moon. I quickly grabbed her wrist, and brought her lips back to mine. This time the kiss spoke volumes as we both released every emotion and hidden desire. I pulled her closer to me, and she pulled my body down to the grass. We pulled apart both gasping for air. She rolled slightly on top of me, one of her legs between mine, and her hand on my chest. "I forgive you Shika." We both smiled as I pulled her into another passionate kiss.


End file.
